Of Hatred and Prejudice
by storysorceress
Summary: The war is over and most of Hermione's classmates are moving on with their lives. However, the shadow of hatred and prejudice still looms above them all. As Hermione returns to Hogwarts for an optional eighth year, will she be able to overcome these barriers and see others in a new light? And will Draco be able to do the same? A story of hatred, prejudice, hope and redemption.


**Chapter 1**

Hermione sighed. She'd found herself doing that a lot lately, it was odd – in reality she felt she should have been more content with the way things had turned out.

A lot had happened in the months since the war ended. She and Ron had attempted a short lived romance, discovering that though they both loved each other it was merely platonic and there was no point in taking it further. Sure, he felt familiar to her, like a home – but that was the issue: he was like a brother to her and it would have been unfair to him to stay with him just for the benefit of hiding within her comfort zone. She couldn't deny that the prospect of letting go of the dream she'd had for so long terrified her – at 14 she'd envisioned herself eventually marrying Ron and subsequently solidifying her place as a member of the Weasley family. However, she'd also be lying to herself if she said that she would have been happy with such a future. She was well aware that her desire for stability and comfort was in part a result of the turbulence that the war had brought, and that this was something that she needed to overcome just as she had overcome her previous insecurities during her first few years at Hogwarts. She knew herself – eventually her ambition and need for independence would triumph and woe behold if she was married to Ronald then.

As for Harry, he had begun training to become a professional Quidditch player. Whilst having been immediately offered a place on the Auror training program like Ron, Harry had declined. Hermione understood his motivation; she knew that Harry wanted to prove himself for his own talents rather than just riding on the wake of the fame that the war had brought him. He had had enough of fighting dark wizards and Quidditch gave him an alternative way to revel in adrenaline and to feel alive; it had been his escape during the years at Hogwarts, a way of turning his rivalries with the Slytherins back into a mere game rather than a real threat.

She and Harry were similar, she thought (which was why she could understand him when Ron couldn't). She spent her time hiding in books much in the same way as Harry had used Quidditch to temporarily forget his responsibilities and quell the looming fears of the future.

Breaking out of her musings, Hermione turned back to the letter on her desk.

 _Dear Students,_

 _As you are well aware Hogwarts is still in the process of undergoing reparative measures to restore the castle back to its original state following the damage caused._

 _Furthermore, you are aware that due to the unfortunate circumstances of last year your education has been somewhat severely disrupted._

 _A new plan is being introduced in order to rectify this. All students previously in the year groups one through six will have an extra class added to their timetables each day from Monday through to Friday, to ensure that all material is covered to an acceptable standard. We understand that this change will not be welcome but it must be appreciated that the professors will also be sacrificing more of their personal time in order to assist students, the majority having fallen behind in their schoolwork._

 _First years will commence classes as usual. Previous seventh years will have the option to be graded on their classwork completed over the past two years in addition to their exams, as special consideration is being taken. However, previous seventh years will also be given the opportunity to return to Hogwarts if they so desire, in order to be able to resit their exams at the end of the school year. Whilst the House Common Rooms and Dormitories will be restored by the commencement of the school year, eighth years will be housed elsewhere. It is requested that all students interested in this scheme write directly to Headmistress McGonagall._

 _Sincerely,_

 _M. Spratwick, assistant headteacher_

Hermione smiled softly. Harry and Ron had chosen to move on with their lives, but she herself didn't feel ready to face the world. Hogwarts still felt like her home and though she couldn't imagine it without her closest friends, she had chosen to return. Ginny at least had been overjoyed with the news.

Now it was Hermione's last night at the burrow. In the morning she would board the Hogwarts Express and journey into a life which would be so familiar yet so foreign – she would return to Hogwarts, her home, without the looming shadow of war but also without her dearest companions. It was a bittersweet mixture of emotions – a potent potion, the effects of which she had yet to experience.

Draco Malfoy stood still, letting the wind blow through his hair. With his eyes closed and his head tipped back, he remained perfectly motionless, trying to secure his illusion of peace by thinking of absolutely nothing.

His fist clenched around the scrap of parchment in his pocket. He had read it a dozen times but only now was it sinking in that he would return to Hogwarts. So long his home and the only place where he was sheltered from his father's disapproval and disappointment, the castle now loomed in his mind's eye as a great threat.


End file.
